Oct. 16, 2009
Senior forward Jason Yeisley has been named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, an honor that recognizes excellence in four areas - classroom, community, character, and competition. Fans can vote for Yeisley EVERY DAY by texting M9 to 74567 and by visiting www.seniorclassaward.com. Fan balloting, which counts for 1/3 of the final vote, continues until Nov. 13.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (8-3-2, 2-0-1) will look to uphold its No. 24 national ranking and maintain its position atop the Big Ten standings when it travels to Columbus, Ohio for a critical conference battle with rival Ohio State (7-3-3, 1-1-0) on Sun., Oct. 18. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the home of the Buckeyes, Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
The contest with Ohio State begins a crucial three-game road stretch that spans the next 10 days and features match-ups with teams with a combined record of 29-3-3 and concludes with a clash with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Akron (Oct. 28). Penn State was ranked No. 33 in the first RPI rankings of the season released earlier this week but will have the opportunity to move up in the next two weeks, starting this Sunday against Ohio State (No. 26).
Penn State upped its 2009 home record to 6-0-2 on Wednesday evening with a 2-0 defeat of Lafayette at Jeffrey Field. Senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) accounted for both Nittany Lion scores, providing the team captain his eighth career multi-goal game of his career. Yeisley, a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalists (see below), leads the team in goals (8) and points (20) and ranks first in the Big Ten in shots (57) and shots per game (4.38) and is second in goals and points.
Sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) each earned an assist on one of Yeisley's goals, tying them for the team lead with five. Four of Hertzog's and Braga's assists this season have come on goals scored by Yeisley. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) registered four saves en route to his Big Ten-leading seventh shutout of season. He also tops the conference in goals against average (0.48).
Ohio State dropped its third home game of the season, all in shutout fashion, on Wednesday, falling to Illinois-Chicago, 1-0. The Buckeye attack has produced 14 goals this season, led by senior defender Doug Verhoff's four. Freshman forward Chris Hegngi tops the team in points with nine (3 goals, 3 assists) while freshman midfielder Austin McAnena has contributed three goals and two assists. Ohio State wins game on the strength of its solid defense, which has allowed just 10 goals. Verhoff, Matt Gold, and David Tiemstra anchor the unit while two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, goalkeeper Matt Lampson, has excelled as the last line of defense. Lampson has five shutouts to his credit and boasts a 0.74 goals against average.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Ohio State match-up on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State men's soccer supporters can also keep up-to-date on the team throughout the season with exclusive notes, information, and photos by way of Twitter. Go to twitter.com and search psusportsjr to become a follower.
The Nittany Lions will continue their road swing on Wed., Oct. 21 when they visit nearby Lewisburg, Pa. to meet Bucknell in a non-conference tilt. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. The rivalry with Bucknell is one of Penn State's longest running, dating back to 1930, and its most successful, totaling 57 wins against just seven losses and three ties. The Lions had their 25-game winning streak against the Bison snapped last year when BU earned a 2-0 victory in the finale of the Penn State Classic.